ksteele

Thanks to Grum and Cogswell I have it running again! The FPR was definitely the cause of the cylinders being flooded with fuel. I was also surprised by the amount of fuel that was in the exhaust system. I really appreciate the help.

I performed the spark test by removing all coils and plugs, connecting them one at a time to the proper wire and observed spark on all 4 plugs. Therefore, I do not seem to have an ignition issue. As a reminder, I also tested all 4 injectors for leaks while cleaning them and found no leaks. The two front cylinders, 2 and 4 had all the fuel - I did not observe any excess fuel in the two rear cylinders 1 and 3. I traced the vacuum hose from the fuel pressure regulator and it feeds the right hand cylinders 3 and 4 as you mentioned. I can see how you would expect the fuel to be in 3 and 4 if the fuel pressure regulator had failed. While I'm not sure how to test the fuel pressure regulator - here's what I did: 1.) Oriented the fuel tank so that the fuel pump would be submerged in fuel. 2.) Removed the vacuum hose from the fuel pressure regulator 3.) Connected a rubber hose to the vacuum port on the fuel pressure regulator and put the other end in a measuring cup 3.) Turned on the ignition and heard the fuel pump prime 4.) Three ounces of fuel came out of the vacuum port of the fuel pressure regulator. Does this prove that the fuel pressure regulator is bad? I'm still wondering why I found excess fuel in cylinder 2 as well. Perhaps there any other shared connection points with vacuum hoses or engine internals?

Grum - I suspect you hit the nail on the head! I removed the coils and spark plugs and turned the motor over and gas spewed from both front cylinders. The rear cylinders were dry. I didn't try the spark test this evening as there was too much gas and fumes in the area. I did some reading about the fuel pressure regulator and ran across some old posts about an aftermarket model from a "turbocity.com" which no longer exists. It seemed to offer some improvements - is something similar still available or is it best to order a factory replacement part?

I had a similar issue - but mine was corroded on the inside from letting it sit too long. The key doesn't go down as far as you might think. I had already removed my fuel pump, so using a flash light I was able to see the latch from the underside. Mine was covered in white corrosion on the bottom. A few suggestions: 1.) With the key in the slot, put a finishing sander or similar (no sandpaper) against the key and let it vibrate to see it that loosens up the mechanism. 2.) You may need to remove the fuel pump - but it is not easy to work everything through the small opening and you may damage some of the rubber components while removing it. All the parts are replaceable and readily available if needed. 3.) Once you get the fuel pump out, you can use a long screwdriver to chip away the corrosion on the bottom side until the latch will turn. 4.) Once the latch turns and you can remove the entire lock mechanism, you will be able to give it a good cleaning and even file the latches if necessary to make it work like new. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the help - I'll investigate and report back.

I have a 2003 VFR800 with 18k miles. 10 years ago, the fuel pump stopped working so the bike was covered in a garage and received no attention. I'm trying to get it running again, so I removed the fuel tank, drained it, cleaned it out and installed a new Quantum fuel pump, filter, strainer and replaced all the related hoses and rubber pieces. I reinstalled the tank, filled with fresh fuel, changed the motor oil, oil filter and installed a new battery. I have it on the center stand with the side stand up. I turned on the ignition, switched on the red run button and hit the start switch. I heard the fuel pump prime and tried to start it several times with no success. I gave it a rest and continued trying to start it and the motor came to an abrupt stop and made a metallic knock sound. I then removed the fuel tank (once again), removed the airbox, the injectors and the coils and spark plugs. I turned the motor over with the starter and some liquid was ejected from the number 4 cylinder (I assume fuel). The motor turned over fine with the starter (no odd sounds and no plugs inserted), so I'm thinking too much unburned fuel was dumped into that cylinder and stopped the motor from spinning? I cleaned out the fuel rail with carb cleaner, back flushed, cleaned and tested each injector using this method: Cleaning fuel injectors The injectors seemed to work well and did not show any signs of leaks. The spark plugs also looked good. I reassembled everything, thinking the excess fuel may have been caused by a stuck open injector, but no such luck. I tried to start it with no success and after some time, the motor again came to an abrupt stop and made a metallic knock sound. Now I'm thinking I have no spark and fuel is just being dumped into the cylinders. I downloaded the Service Manual and it mentions a "spark test" but doesn't give the procedure. Is this the proper procedure? 1.) Disconnect fuel pump 2.) Remove all spark plugs and coils 3.) Connect one coil and spark plug 4.) Ground the side electrode of the spark plug using alligator clips and wire 5.) Turn on the ignition and hit the starter, observing the tip of the plug for spark